Shenzhou 10 returns to Earth after achieving China's next Milestone in Space

June 26, 2013

Photo: Xinhua/Ren Junchuan

Shenzhou 10 has returned to Earth on Wednesday marking the successful completion of its 15-day mission which was the last flight to the Tiangong-1 space station module. Three Chinese Astronauts started the trip back to Earth on Tuesday following the second re-rendezvous of the mission. In the dying minutes of Tuesday (UTC), the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft performed its re-entry followed by a parachute assisted landing.

After being launched atop a Chinese Long March 2F rocket on June 11, the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft and its crew of Commander Nie Haisheng and Flight Engineers Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping completed a successful rendezvous with Tiangong-1 docking two days after launch in automated mode using Shenzhou’s sophisticated suite of Rendezvous Sensors.

These consist of a high-tech suite of radar, laser and optical sensors designed to provide range and relative velocity as well as alignment data to the vehicle's navigation computers. After arriving at the Tiangong spacecraft on June 13, the three crew members entered their ‘home in space’ for the next 12 days.

The crew spent their time in orbit working on scientific experiments, conducting assessments of the various systems of Tiangong-1 and evaluating exercise measures to counteract the effects of microgravity. The crew also outfitted the interior of the Tiangong-1 module by installing new wall and floor panels to make it easier for them to move around. Over the course of their mission, two crew members occupied the two sleep stations inside Tiangong while the remaining crew member slept inside Shenzhou 10.

One of the high-points of the flight was China’s first lecture given from Space as Wang Yaping talked to millions of students via live video downlink, demonstrating basic physics experiments in space. The 50-minute lesson featured floating water bubbles, pendulums and spinning tops. Also, the crew talked about space debris protection measures, their view of Earth and their life aboard the mini space station.

Last Sunday, after nearly completing their stay aboard Tiangong-1, the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft undocked from the complex and retreated to a certain distance to allow the crew to perform a manual re-docking closely resembling the maneuver that was performed last year on the Shenzhou 9 mission. After re-docking, the crew entered Tiangong-1 again to complete final close-outs of the vehicle and get ready for their trip back to Earth. On Monday, the crew members received a very special call from Chinese President Xi who congratulated them on their success this far. The crew returned congratulatory words and expressed their gratitude towards all teams that supported the Shenzhou 10 mission.

Late on Monday (UTC), the crew once again entered their Shenzhou 10 spacecraft, and this time, closed the hatches to Tiangong-1 for good, leaving it in a configuration for at least three months of autonomous flight. After undocking, Shenzhou 10 completed the first-of-its-kind flyaround of the Tiangong-1 mini space station. The vehicle flew half a lap around the module, crossing the R-Bar right above Tiangong-1. Both spacecraft made a yaw-maneuver to allow their docking ports to face one another for a re-rendezvous. This marked a new milestone for China’s manned space program that has been working up to this high-fidelity maneuver since the Shenzhou 8 mission to Tiangong that performed the first rendezvous and docking tests.

Photo: Xinhua

Photo: CCTV/CNTV

With this final milestone checked off, all objectives of the mission were fulfilled, except for a safe re-entry and landing.

After departing the Tiangong-1 space station module by making a number of departure maneuvers, Shenzhou 10 entered an independent orbit that was adjusted on Tuesday to set up the landing trajectory that was precisely planned by Mission Control Beijing. The return flight profile was similar to that of Shenzhou 8 & 9 showing a similar timeline following the departure of Tiangong.

Photo: CCTV/CNTV

Deorbit Burn

Photo: CCTV/CNTV

Entry Module Separation

Late on Tuesday, the three crew members once again put on their Launch and Entry Suits for their ride back to Earth. They closed the hatch to the Orbital Module and made leak checks before strapping themselves into their custom made seats to start return operations. Commander Nie Haisheng entered the center seat while Zhang Xiaoguang was seated to his right and Wang Yaping taking the left seat.

As part of their final few orbits around Earth, the crew members configured their spacecraft for landing and performed systems activations for re-entry. At 23:21 UTC, the Service Module of the spacecraft was separated. It remains in orbit and can operate for several hours until its batteries run out - before eventually re-entering the atmosphere.

With the Service Module gone, the rest of the vehicle started a re-orientation for the retrograde deorbit burn. The burn started at 23:22 UTC and featured the four 2,500-Newton main engines of the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft that fired for about 75 seconds slowing the vehicle down to drop out of orbit and intercept Earth’s atmosphere.

What followed was a quiet period during which the vehicle slowly approached the atmosphere for re-entry. The next major event was the separation of the Service Module. The Entry Module was flying in front of the SM at that time to be first to re-enter the atmosphere. SM separation occurred at 23:44 UTC and was followed by Entry Interface about two minutes later.

When hitting the dense atmosphere, the Service Module, flying behind the Entry Module, started to disintegrate as planned because it is not outfitted with a heat shield. Long range tracking cameras picked up the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft and the large plasma trail caused by the heat of re-entry. While re-entering, the vehicle lost communications with the ground due to the plasma build-up.

Photo: CCTV

Shenzhou 10 Re-Entry

Photo: CCTV/CNTV

The Service Module burning up in the Atmosphere

As the vehicle passed through the dense atmosphere, it was sticking to its pre-bank angle for the initial re-entry portion before starting entry guidance. During that phase, the navigation computers of the vehicle were constantly adjusting the angle of attack of the vehicle to generate lift in order to reach the landing ellipse in the Inner Mongolia Region. The computers constantly monitored attitude, velocity and altitude to target a landing ellipse 30 km in range and 15 km laterally.

At 23:56 UTC, the parachute deployment sequence started. At an altitude of 10 Kilometers, the parachute hatch was jettisoned and the pilot chutes were deployed pulling out the drogue chute that was followed by the main chute that is 1,200 square meters and has a mass of 90 Kilograms. The main chute slowed the vehicle down to 8 meters per second as it made its descent. When passing an altitude of 6 Kilometers at 23:59 UTC, the Entry Module's heat shield was jettisoned exposing an altimeter device and soft-landing engines.

Flying under its parachute, the capsule was swaying around considerably due to relatively high winds. Descent continued without any problems and recovery teams were already rushing towards the projected landing site.

Six solid rocket engines ignited 1 meter above the ground to reduce the vehicle's velocity to its touchdown speed of 3.5 meters per second. Shock absorbers in the seats of the crew provided further cushioning as the vehicle made its impact at 0:07 UTC on Wednesday.

Photo: CCTV/CNTV

Photo: CCTV/CNTV

Photo: Xinhua/Ren Junchuan

Photo: Xinhua/Ren Junchuan

Photo: Xinhua/Ren Junchuan

Photo: Xinhua/Wang Jianmin

Following touchdown, the parachute did not deflate due to strong winds and actually dragged the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft along with it, leaving a long track in the dusty ground. The parachute was jettisoned shortly after landing and the capsule came to a stop on its side.

The vehicle landed at the following location: 111° 21' 26" E, 42° 19' 44" N – within the expected ellipse but short of the bulls-eye target.

Within five minutes of landing, initial teams arrived in the vicinity of Shenzhou 10. The integrity of the Shenhzou Entry Module was verified before teams started hatch opening procedures. The hatch was opened at 0:21 UTC. Air Samples from the atmosphere inside the Spacecraft were taken and recovery forces spoke to the crew members making sure all of them were in good condition. All three crew members were in good condition after their return to Earth.

As customary with Chinese missions, the crew remained inside the module for a relatively long time after landing for initial re-adaption to gravity before crew extraction began.

Photo: Xinhua/Wang Jianmin

All crew members appeared to be healthy and happy to be back on Earth after concluding their Milestone Mission. The crew will depart the landing site several hours after landing.With Shenzhou 10 coming to a close, China can look back at another very successful manned flight – it was China’s fifth manned mission. No more flights to Tiangong-1 are planned. The module had a design life of two years that will expire in September. At that time, the vehicle will be guided to a destructive re-entry. Its final three months will be filled with engineering checkouts and operation of its payloads.

China’s next manned flight is several years away. The Tiangong-2 space station module is currently under construction to be launched in late 2014. Shenzhou 11 would fly when Tiangong-2 is in orbit and ready for a manned mission.

June 25, 2013

Photo: ChinaNews.com

Mission Control during the Flyaround - Flight Trajectory on Center Screen

Three Chinese Astronauts have begun their trip back to Earth for landing at about 0:06 UTC on Wednesday after a 15-day mission to the Tiangong-1 mini space station. But before leaving Tiangong-1 for good, the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft performed an ambitious flyaround maneuver of the module which was the first time China conducted such a maneuver in space.

The three crew members, Commander Nie Haisheng and Flight Engineers Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping boarded their Shenzhou 10 spacecraft late on Monday, UTC. Before, they had completed close-out activities inside the Tiangong-1 module to prepare it for autonomous operations after the departure of the crew. Once inside their vehicle, the crew members closed the hatches to Tiangong-1 and began leak checks. Also, they put on their Launch and Entry Suits to get ready for undocking.

Physical Separation occurred at 23:05 UTC and the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft was pushed away by springs before using its own thrusters to retreat to a certain distance to Tiangong-1 before beginning a period of stationkeeping.

At that point, Shenzhou 10 was flying directly in front of Tiangong-1 on the +V-Bar or Velocity Vector, circling the Earth at an altitude of 330 Kilometers.

When Stationkeeping was complete, Shenzhou 10 initiated the flyaround of Tiangong by firing its thrusters. Whether the maneuver was completed in manual or automated mode is not clear at this time. The Shenzhou 10 spacecraft flew above Tiangong-1, crossing the -R-Bar as it made half a lap around the space station module. After crossing the -R-Bar, the spacecraft flew back down to the -V-Bar – now flying behind the Tiangong vehicle.

While the Flyaround was in progress, Tiangong-1 made a 180-degree yaw maneuver to point its docking port into the direction of Shenzhou 10 that also made a yaw-maneuver to face Tiangong-1 with its docking port. When being aligned behind the Tiangong-1 module, Shenzhou 10 started closing in for a re-docking, the official Xinhua news agency reported. This marked the first time, China has conducted a flyaround in space – providing valuable information required for future space projects and the operation of China’s first large space station later this decade.

After finishing this successful maneuver, the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft should be on its own again after undocking from Tiangong-1 shortly after the re-docking, flying in an independent orbit that will be adjusted on Tuesday to set the stage for deorbit and re-entry followed by a parachute-assisted landing.

To begin the re-entry sequence, the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft will jettison its orbital module before starting the deorbit burn one minute later. The 75-second retrograde deorbit burn will slow the vehicle down just enough to intercept Earth’s atmosphere a short time later. The Deorbit Burn will occur at around 23:20 UTC on Tuesday followed by the separation of the service module about 18 minutes later. Shortly thereafter, the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft would start re-entry.

The Entry module will maneuver to its proper orientation for Entry and experience Peak Heating and high accelerations during the process with its computers constantly monitoring its position and orientation as well as all system parameters. The computers monitor attitude, velocity and altitude to target a landing ellipse 30 km in range and 15 km laterally.

Photo: CCTV/CNTV

Photo: CCTV/CNTV

The Entry module is equipped with a single-fault tolerant parachute system. At an altitude of 10 Kilometers, the parachute hatch is jettisoned and the pilot chutes are deployed pulling out the drogue chute that is followed by the main chute that is 1,200 square meters and has a mass of 90 Kilograms. The main chute slows the vehicle down to 8 meters per second as it makes its descent. At an altitude of 6 Kilometers, the Entry Module's heat shield is jettisoned exposing an altimeter device and soft-landing engines. The altimeter is used to provide altitude and rate of descent information to the flight computers during the final minutes of the landing sequence. Six solid rocket engines ignite 1 meter above the ground to reduce the vehicle's velocity to its touchdown speed of 3.5 meters per second. Shock absorbers in the seats of the crew provide further cushioning.

Landing will occur at around 0:06 UTC on Wednesday in the Inner Mongolia Region. Landing Zone personnel and equipment were sent to the area on June 23 to prepare for the landing. Recovery Forces will be in the area for landing flying helicopters and driving all-terrain vehicles as well as normal convoy vehicles. Once recovery forces reach the landed vehicle, operations to open the hatch and extract the three crew members will get underway. The three Astronauts will be seated in chairs that will be set up not far from their vehicle and undergo initial medical exams. They will depart the landing site and begin post-landing operations later in the day.

Shenzhou 10 performs successful Undocking - Re-Docking Maneuver

June 23, 2013

Photo: CCTV/CNTV

Photo: Xinhua

The Shenzhou 10 spacecraft and the Tiangong-1 space station module have completed an Undocking-Re-Docking Maneuver early on Sunday (UTC). The maneuver was expected to occur late in the mission, but Chinese officials made no prior announcements of the operation. The three crew members of the Shenzhou 10 mission, Commander Nie Haisheng and Flight Engineers Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping moved into their spacecraft after closing out Tiangong-1 several hours before the planned event. They closed the hatches between their spacecraft and completed leak checks before putting on their Launch and Entry Suits and strapping themselves into their seats inside the Entry Module of the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft. Undocking from Tiangong-1 occurred at 0:26 UTC in automated mode. Springs pushed the two vehicles apart and Shenzhou 10 used its thrusters to retreat to a certain distance to Tiangong-1 - sticking to the V-Bar or velocity vector of the mini space station. At 1:50 UTC, after a period of Stationkeeping, the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft was switched to manual control and the crew started the re-docking maneuver, carefully bringing the vehicle in for a manual docking, keeping the Shenzhou spacecraft aligned with its docking port. Shenzhou 10’s Rendezvous Sensors were used to provide navigational data used by the crew to operate the vehicle, ready to switch to automated mode in case of any problems. Rendezvous Navigation Data is acquired by a high-tech suite of radar, laser and optical sensors designed to provide range and relative velocity as well as alignment data to the vehicle's navigation computers.

Contact occurred at 2:00 UTC. About 7 minutes after docking, a hard mate between the two vehicles was established by closing 12 locking pins, firmly joining the two spacecraft.

This Undocking-Re-Docking closely resembled the maneuver that was performed on the Shenzhou 9 mission last year. The timeline of the two maneuvers is nearly identical and footage released of the Shenzhou 10 re-docking shows the vehicle using the classic V-Bar approach. Whether the previously announced flyaround of Tiangong-1 was canceled or will be performed after the final undocking is not known.

The crew is now resuming operations at Tiangong-1 for a short period of time before pressing into final undocking and return preparations. Shenzhou 10 is expected to return to Earth on Tuesday or Wednesday.

First Space Lecture given by Chinese Astronauts

June 20, 2013

China’s second woman to fly to space, Wang Yaping, has performed the country’s first-of-its-kind lecture from space as part of the Shenzhou 10 mission. Shenzhou 10 is currently docked to Tiangong-1 – China’s first space station module.

The space lecture was conducted on June 20 and featured a number of basic experiments to explain the physics of zero gravity to students that were able to watch the event via live video downlink. Wang Yaping and her fellow crew members, Commander Nie Haisheng and Flight Engineer Zhang Xiaoguang, demonstrated a number of experiments using spinning tops, a ball and water. The event closely resembled educational events held regularly by US Astronauts aboard the International Space Station featuring similar experiments and topics.

Wang Yaping explained the concepts of mass and weight showing that ordinary scales do not work in gravity before demonstrating how mass can be measured in space by using Newton’s second law of motion – measuring Nie Haisheng’s body mass through force and acceleration. Spinning tops were used to create gyroscopic motion and a ball attached to a string to demonstrate pendulum motion. At the end of the lesson, Wang Yaping spoke about the surface tension of water, showing water bubbles freely floating through the module. Later, color pigments were injected into the water droplets. As part of a short question and answer session, Wang Yaping talked about space debris protection measures, her view of Earth and her life aboard the mini space station.

"The space dream never loses its gravity and the science dream knows no bounds," said Wang Yaping.

The event was followed by more than 60 million students at 80,000 middle schools across China.

The Shenzhou 10 mission has been progressing well, Chinese officials said, but exact details are not being disclosed. Since the docking that was performed one week ago, only very few information were released by China.

Working aboard Tiangong-1, the three crew members have been busy conducting experiments and testing various systems aboard the mini space station.

One of the first activities they performed was the installation of new floor and wall panels as well as handrails inside the Tiangong module. These improvements were intended to make it easier for crew members to stabilize themselves when working or floating through the spacecraft. The Shenzhou 9 mission had shown that the number of handrails and foot restraints was not sufficient and the flexible wall and floor panels made it difficult to move around.

More of these lessons will be learned during the Shenzhou 10 mission to improve the design of future Chinese spacecraft. Improvements in Rendezvous and Docking techniques are also an objective of the Shenzhou 10 flight.

The first docking of the mission was performed last Thursday using Shenzhou 10’s autonomous system to automatically guide the vehicle in for a docking. Planned for late this week is an Undocking-Re-Docking Maneuver.

For that, the three crew members will enter their Shenzhou spacecraft and close the hatch to Tiangong-1 and complete leak checks before undocking from the complex to retreat to a certain distance to the module.

From there, the crew would switch to manual control to perform a manual docking with Tiangong-1. Before the mission, officials indicated that the second docking could use an R-Bar approach followed by a Flyaround of Tiangong-1 to align the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft with the docking port. Previous Chinese dockings used a V-Bar approach. This maneuver will likely take place on Friday.

Shenzhou 10 is expected to return to Earth on June 25 (UTC).

Shenzhou 10 successfully docks with Tiangong-1 Mini Space Station

June 13, 2013

*File Image* - Photo: CCTV/CNTV

Shenzhou 10 has arrived at its orbital destination, Tiangong-1, on Thursday, performing a flawless rendezvous and docking according to Chinese media. Docking occurred at 5:11 UTC.

After being launched into a 200 by 329.8-Kilometer Orbit by the Long March 2F launcher on Tuesday, the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft quickly started orbital maneuvers to increase its altitude in order to link up with Tiangong-1 which was in a 315 by 327-Kilometer Orbit. At least two maneuvers were conducted on Flight Day 1 delivering the vehicle to an orbit of 262 by 316 Kilometers. By late June 12, Shenzhou 10 had arrived in an orbital closely resembling that of Tiangong-1.

Early on Thursday, UTC, rendezvous was initiated about 140 minutes before the planned contact time. Apparently, the vehicle performed its Rendezvous in automated mode. Shenzhou 10 activated its state of the art Rendezvous Sensor Suite that provided navigation information to the flight computers. Rendezvous Navigation Data is acquired by a high-tech suite of radar, laser and optical sensors designed to provide range and relative velocity as well as alignment data to the vehicle's navigation computers.

Throughout the rendezvous, mission controllers at the Beijing Aerospace Command Center as well as the crew aboard the vehicle were watching closely over systems. In case of a problem during the approach, the crew members would assume manual control of the vehicle and bring it in for a manual docking with Tiangong-1. This was not required as Shenzhou 10 was performing well and approaching its target as planned.

Docking occurred at 5:11 UTC on Thursday while the complex was just completing a long pass over the mainland of China heading out over the Pacific allowing it to be tracked by ground stations and tracking ships stationed in the Ocean.

Both, Shenzhou and Tiangong, are equipped with an APAS-Type Docking System. APAS stands for Androgynous Peripheral Attach System. APAS docking rings can mate with any other APAS Docking ring unlike the traditional probe-and-drogue system that is still used by the Russian Soyuz Spacecraft. For APAS, one docking system is configured as passive unit while the other fulfills the active part. Once a soft-mate is achieved after contact and relative motion between the two spacecraft has dampened out, latches are closed to form a hard-mate between the interfaces.

About 7 minutes after docking, a hard mate between the two vehicles was established by closing 12 locking pins, firmly joining the two spacecraft.

The three crew members, Commander Nie Haisheng and Flight Engineers Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping, are making a series of leak checks after docking to make sure the interface between Shenzhou 10 and Tiangong-1 is sealed properly.

Image: China Manned Space Engineering Office

About three hours after docking, the crew members would be able to open the hatches and enter the Tiangong-1 spacecraft.The first order of business after hatch opening and ingress would be an inspection of the interior of Tiangong-1 to verify that all systems are up and running as they should be. The crew would make cargo transfers from Shenzhou 10 to the mini space station before beginning regular science operations. Science aboard Tiangong includes biological studies, human research, material science as well as technical demonstrations of Tiangong's systems.

As promised ahead of the flight, Chinese media coverage of this mission has been limited at best – especially when comparing it to the extensive live coverage of the Shenzhou 9 flight last year. Live coverage of the launch started just five minutes ahead of T-0 and following their extensive launch coverage up until Solar Array Deployment, Chinese media went silent once again. Only a short report was issued on the first day of the flight indicating that the crew had started normal orbital operations. The docking was not shown on live TV and was reported with a significant delay.

Because of this limited news coverage, only a few details of the flight plan for the three crew members are known. They will continue to operate on Beijing time while in orbit instead of working around the clock in shifts like the crew of Shenzhou 9 did. Two crew members will sleep inside the crew quarters of Tiangong-1, the other crew member will sleep inside the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft.

Early in the docked mission, the crew will install new wall panels inside Tiangong-1 as well as new handrails to make it easier to secure themselves when floating in microgravity.

Photo: Xinhua

Also, a science lesson will be broadcast live from orbit. Wang Yaping will be conducting this lesson featuring a number of basic experiments associated with the surface tension of liquids and Newton’s Laws of Motion. When this event will occur has not been announced.

After about a week of docked operations, the three crew members will enter their Shenzhou 10 spacecraft once again to perform an Undocking-Re-Docking Maneuver. To further advance knowledge and experience in space operations, the maneuver is planned to feature a fly-around of the mini-space station to practice R-Bar approaches as the current Shenzhou docking procedure features a V-Bar approach. Whether this activity will be shown on live TV is unknown.

Following the Re-Docking, the crew will spend another six days aboard Tiangong before departing the mini space station for Re-Entry and Landing after a 15-day flight.

China launches Shenzhou 10 & three Crew Members on 15-Day Flight

June 11, 2013

A Chinese Long March 2F rocket has successfully delivered the Shenzhou 10 Spacecraft to orbit for a 15-day mission to the Tiangong-1 mini space station. The launcher blasted off from the Jiquan Satellite Launch Center at 9:38 UTC on Tuesday and completed a nominal ascent mission releasing the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft 9 minutes and 45 seconds after launch - safely delivering the three crew members on their path to Tiangong-1. Docking is planned for Thursday after a two-day rendezvous.

The Shenzhou 10 mission is the final flight to Tiangong-1 and will continue China’s ongoing effort to acquire new capabilities required for the operation of a space station. Priorities for this flight include gaining more experience at docking maneuvers, learning about hardware in space and looking at the physiological and psychological aspects of space flight.

Launch Countdown operations started three days ago when the countdown was initiated. Final preparations also involved the three crew members, Commander Nie Haisheng and Flight Engineers Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping.

They arrived at the desert launch site about 10 days ahead of launch and entered pre-flight quarantine. During their stay at Jiquan, they completed final training operations, a final full-systems drill inside their Shenzhou capsule and medical exams ahead of the flight. The crew was officially introduced on Monday, just one day ahead of the flight.

Also on Monday, the Long March 2F rocket that was rolled out to the launch pad last week, began its final set of countdown operations. Technicians loaded the four strap-on boosters, the core stage and the upper stage with a total of 411,000 Kilograms of storable propellants, namely Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine and Nitrogen Tetroxide. No issues were reported during fueling and the launcher stood 58 meters tall and fully fueled at its launch pad when launch day had arrived. Early in the day’s countdown, the rocket and spacecraft were powered up for final checkouts ahead of liftoff. Support personnel completed final Shenzhou 10 cargo loading and close outs of the launch vehicle.

Photo: CCTV

Photo: Xinhua

About five hours ahead of T-0, the three crew members put on their Launch and Entry Suits. They reported to Chinese officials before boarding the bus to the launch site. Once arriving at the launch pad about 2.5 hours ahead of launch, the crew ingressed their spacecraft. Before they entered Shenzhou 10, support personnel conducted reconfigurations inside the vehicle to configure it for final countdown operations.

Commander Nie Haisheng was strapped into the commander seat in the middle while Zhang Xiaoguang entered the right seat and Wang Yaping took the left seat inside the Re-Entry Module of the Shenzhou spacecraft. Shenzhou (=Divine Craft) is based on the Russian Soyuz vehicle, but features a number of modifications and additions. It provides more room and uses state-of-the-art technology. Shenzhou features the well known design, being constructed of three modules, the Orbital Module, Instrumentation Module and Entry Module between the other two sections. Shenzhou weighs 7,900kg and has an overall length of 9.3 meters, being 2.8 meters in diameter with a span in orbit of 17 meters once the two solar arrays are deployed.

When all crew members were inside the spacecraft, technicians closed the Entry Module Hatch and the side hatch of the spacecraft and made sure the seal was tight by making extensive leak checks. As with all Chinese space missions, crew ingress was fairly quick.

As clocks continued to count down, the Mission Control Team monitored all systems of the launcher and the spacecraft. 45 minutes ahead of launch, the two lower halves of the Service Structure were retracted from the Long March Launcher with the upper sections staying in place until T-27 minutes. When all platforms had been retracted to their launch positions, the Long March 2F Rocket was exposed standing 58.3 meters tall as it was undergoing final checks as part of nominal countdown operations. CZ-2F has a liftoff mass of 479,800 Kilograms.

The rocket is 3.35 meters in diameter and features four 41,000-Kilogram strap-on boosters, a core stage holding 174,000 Kilograms and an upper stage containing 86,000 Kilograms of propellants.

At T-15 Minutes, the Terminal Countdown Sequence got underway. Also at that point, the Launch Escape System was activated for flight. This system is designed to safely transport the Shenzhou Spacecraft away from the Rocket in the event of a severe problem with the launcher. Going through its final countdown sequence, the launcher and Shenzhou 10 spacecraft transitioned to internal power. Making final checks before launch, all stations reported GO for Liftoff and at T-4 minutes, the three crew members closed their visors. Propellant tanks started pressurization in the final two minutes of the countdown and the three umbilical arms connecting the vehicle to ground support equipment were disconnected at T-45 seconds.

After the final ten seconds were counted down in Chinese, the four boosters and core stage engines started up and soared up to full thrust for liftoff. Computers were closely monitoring the propulsion system to verify that all engines had reached operational conditions before liftoff.

A short moment after engine ignition, the large Long March Rocket and its three passengers blasted off. Liftoff occurred at precisely 9:38:02 UTC and the launcher soared uphill with a total liftoff thrust of 604,000 Kilograms being provided by the four YF-20B engines of the boosters and the cluster of four YF-20Bs on the core stage. Initial vertical ascent was nominal and the launcher quickly pitched over the performed its roll maneuver to start its chase of Tiangong-1, flying towards a precise orbital insertion target to meet its rendezvous requirements.

Being a rocket used for human Space Flight, CZ-2F uses the most sophisticated navigation systems that are currently utilized in the Long March Launch Vehicle Fleet. As the ascent continued, the Launch Escape Tower was jettisoned at T+2:01. Even with the tower gone, the Shenzhou System provides ascent abort capabilities all the way into orbit – just like the Russian Soyuz does.

The four boosters performed as planned delivering extra thrust to the vehicle during the initial portion of the mission. After booster cutoff, the four strap-ons separated at T+2 minutes and 35 seconds. Booster separation was nominal and the Core Stage burned out and separated only 10 seconds later. After stage separation, the second stage ignited its single YF-25 main engine and its four YF-23 Vernier Thrusters for attitude control. With a total thrust of 81,300 Kilograms. During second stage ascent, at T+3:30, the protective payload fairing was jettisoned when thermal and aerodynamic loads were within limits after the vehicle had left the dense portion of Earth's atmosphere. At T+7:35, the main engine on the upper stage shut down while the verniers continued to burn, still providing more than 4,000kg of thrust.

Photo: Xinhua

Photo: Xinhua

Photo: Xinhua

Shutdown occurred 9 minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff. The target orbit of the vehicle was about 200 by 330-Kilometers at an inclination of 42 degrees. Approximately 3 minutes after separation, the Shenzhou Vehicle deployed its two solar arrays. The arrays consist of four sections each and provide a total surface area of 24.48 square meters. They provide about 1000 Watts of average power to the spacecraft. The solar arrays can be rotated to automatically track the Sun using a sensor system. This deployment marked the end of a successful Orbital Insertion - sending Shenzhou 10 on its high-profile mission to link up with Tiangong 1.

Photo: CCTV

Shenzhou 10 enters Orbit

Now successfully in orbit, Shenzhou 10 and the three crew members are starting their initial procedures to switch the vehicle to its flight configuration and outfit the interior of their vehicle. They will open the hatch to the Orbital Module about 90 minutes into the flight after a short leak check. After getting out of their Launch and Entry Suits, the three crew members will start standard orbital operations aboard their spacecraft. A number of engine burns will be performed by the vehicle to set the stage for docking with Tiangong-1 on Thursday. Docking will occur in the early hours, UTC.

Shenzhou 10's first docking will most likely be completed in automated mode with the crew only playing a backup role in case the automated systems encounter problems. Rendezvous Navigation Data is acquired by a high-tech suite of radar, laser and optical sensors designed to provide range and relative velocity as well as alignment data to the vehicle's navigation computers.

This Rendezvous Navigation system was developed by China. Once arriving at Tiangong-1, the crew will complete leak checks before entering Tiangong-1 and settling in for a 12-day stay.

This stay will most likely be interrupted by an Undocking – Re-Docking maneuver which was also part of the Shenzhou 9 mission. To further advance knowledge and experience in space operations, the maneuver is planned to feature a fly-around of the mini-space station to practice R-Bar approaches as the current Shenzhou docking procedure features a V-Bar approach.

During their stay aboard Tiangong-1, the crew members will complete science operations, assessments of the vehicle’s hardware and an exercise protocol to counteract the effects of extended periods spent in microgravity.

Being an objective of the early mission phase is the installation of new wall and floor panels and handrails inside the module to make it easier for the crew members to move around and keep themselves stabilized. This is one of many lessons learned from the previous Shenzhou 9 flight and China hopes to learn even more on this flight to prepare for its next steps in space exploration.

Tiangong-1 is only a stepping stone in China's effort to construct a large Space Station for long duration space flight. Long duration missions require technology associated with long term life support. Tiangong 1 already utilizes such systems for demonstration purposes including a Urine Processing Facility that converts urine to pure water for use aboard the Spacecraft. Tiangong 1 also includes air purifying systems that were activated 15 days ahead of the launch of Shenzhou 10 Spacecraft to make sure the air aboard the vehicle is safe for the crew members to breathe.

Over the course of the mission, Wang Yaping will conduct one or two science lessons for students via live video downlink. She will demonstrate how objects move in Zero-G, perform experiments associated with the surface tension of liquids and Newton’s Laws of Motion. This is the first of this kind event to be done by a Chinese crew.

Shenzhou 10 is the final flight to Tiangong-1 as the Station does not have a regenerative life support system and can not be refueled in space. After the three missions that were planned for the vehicle – Shenzhou 8 through 10, the module will likely stay in orbit for some time for additional checkouts and technical demonstrations before performing a targeted re-entry to finish its operational life. An approximate timeline has not been announced. China’s next mini space station, Tiangong-2, is being assembled for launch in late 2014.

Photo: China Manned Space Engineering Office

Photo: China Manned Space Engineering Office

Countdown Underway for Shenzhou 10 Launch - Chinese Crew revealed

June 10, 2013

Photo: Xinhua

China is ready for its next manned spaceflight, officials said on Monday. Preparations are on schedule for the launch of a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiquan Satellite Launch Center on Tuesday to deliver the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft and its three crew members to orbit to start the journey to the Tiangong-1 space station module. Liftoff is planned for 9:38 UTC on Tuesday with docking occurring about 44 hours later.

Following the rollout of the Long March 2F launch vehicle last week, the 72-hour Countdown Sequence has been initiated this weekend. Countdown operations include a number of vehicle checkouts, close-outs of the launch pad and loading the launcher with storable propellants before the final countdown sequence commences on launch day.

On Monday, the prime crew of the Shenzhou 10 mission was officially introduced.

As expected before, the crew consists of commander Nie Haisheng and Flight Engineers Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping who will become China’s second women in space.

Photo: Xinhua

Nie Haisheng

Photo: Xinhua

Zhang Xiaoguang

Photo: Xinhua

Wang Yaping

Born in 1964, Haisheng joined the People’s Liberation Army Air Force after graduating from high school. As a fighter pilot, Haisheng served as commander of a flight squadron and a group, and as master navigator. After graduating from Pilot School, he continued his career at PLAAF achieving the rank of major general. Overall, he logged more than 1,400 flight hours.

In 1998, Haisheng was selected as Astronaut as part of China’s first astronaut group. In 2005, Haisheng served as flight engineer on the Shenzhou 6 mission. Orbiting Earth for nearly five days, Haisheng and his commander, Fei Junlong, carried out a number of operations to test the Shenzhou spacecraft before returning to Earth to mark the completion of a successful flight.

Zhang Xiaoguang was born in 1966 and also began a career in the Chinese army achieving the rank of senior colonel and serving as senior pilot recording more than 1,000 hours flying a number of aircraft. He was selected as astronaut in 1998. Shenzhou 10 will be his first flight to space.

The female crew member, Wang Yaping, was born in 1980 and also served in the Chinese air force as a military pilot. Yaping is a major in the air force and holds a bachelor’s degree.

Photo: Xinhua

She was selected as astronaut as part of China’s second astronaut group in 2010 and was the backup for Liu Yang on the Shenzhou 9 mission. Shenzhou 10 is her first flight.The crew members were presented to the media on Monday after having completed all training and preparation procedures. After arriving at the launch site, located 1,600 Kilometers from Beijing, the crew members entered quarantine. They completed an in-suit full-systems drill inside their Shenzhou spacecraft last week and participated in emergency training sessions at the launch pad.

Also in progress at South Launch Site 1 are final preparations of the Long March Rocket and the Shenzhou Spacecraft. The launcher is being loaded with storable propellants late on Monday, local time. Long March 2F stands 58.34 meters tall and is 3.35 meters in diameter with a total fuel load of 411,000 Kilograms. All stages of the launch vehicle use Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine and Nitrogen Tetroxide propellants. Check out our detailed Long March overview.

The Shenzhou 10 vehicle will also be placed in its launch configuration with final cargo loading taking place over the course of the countdown.

While preparations at the launch site are in full swing, preparations in space have also been completed. The Tiangong-1 module entered the proper orbit for the rendezvous with Shenzhou 10 and upcoming docked operations. Mission personnel confirmed that the conditions inside the module are favorable for the crew. Teams made sure that temperatures and air quality were within limits.

Photo: Xinhua

Launch day activities will begin early on Tuesday as teams prepare the launcher and spacecraft for flight. The crew members will start their day bright and early. About five hours ahead of T-0, they will begin to put on their Launch and Entry Suits and report to officials and the media before heading to the launch site. Support personnel will be sitting inside the Shenzhou spacecraft to configure it for liftoff before the crew members enter the vehicle about 2.5 hours before launch. About 45 minutes before launch, the launch pad’s access platforms will be retracted to expose the rocket. Terminal countdown starts at T-15 minutes and the final countdown steps include the transfer to internal power and propellant tank pressurization.

Photo: Xinhua

The Long March 2F launcher will blast off at 9:38 UTC on Tuesday to start a 9-minute 45-second ride into orbit. For a little more than two minutes, the launch vehicle will be powered by its four strap-on boosters and core stage providing a total liftoff thrust of 604,000 Kilograms. The launch escape tower is jettisoned at T+2 minutes & 1 second. At T+2:35 the boosters are separated followed by core stage shutdown and stage separation at T+2:45.

The second stage begins its burn delivering a total thrust of 81,300 Kilograms. The second stage burn lasts until T+9:45 at which point the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft is separated and enters its initial orbit. The initial orbital sequence will feature a number of activities such as the deployment of the solar arrays and the reconfiguration of the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft to flight mode.

Over the course of the first two days of the mission, the vehicle will perform a number of orbit adjustment maneuvers to allow Shenzhou 10 to link up with Tiangong-1 on Thursday.

Tiangong 1 is China’s first Space Station Module that had been in orbit since 2011 and has already welcomed two visiting vehicles – the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft making a docking demonstration flight in late 2011 and Shenzhou 9 in 2012.

Indications have been made on Monday that official Chinese media coverage of this flight will be limited. The coverage of the launch will be shortened and a live broadcast of the docking might not be available.

Long March and Shenzhou 10 rolled to Launch Pad for mid-June Liftoff

June 3, 2013

A Chinese Long March 2F launch vehicle with the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft riding atop has been moved to the launch pad at the Jiquan Satellite Launch Center located 1,600 Kilometer from Beijing. Monday’s rollout form the vertical assembly building kicks off the final week of launch preparations for the Shenzhou 10 mission.

The large mobile launch platform with the Long March Rocket on top was moved moved on rails from the assembly facility to the nearby launch pad. The stack needed about 60 minutes for the 1.5-Kilometer trip to the pad with the rocket secured on the platform, 8.3 meters above ground level. Long March 2F is 58.34 meters long and 3.35 meters in diameter. A liftoff, the launcher will have a mass of about 480,000 Kilograms.

Once arriving at the pad, service structures providing access platforms to technicians have been moved in place around the vehicle. On tap for the launcher are a number of activities that will occur over the coming days. These include preparations for launch vehicle fueling, final checkouts of the launcher and spacecraft, vehicle close-outs and the standard dress rehearsal and safety drill for the three crew members that have yet to be named.

Based on previous Shenzhou Missions, the Rollout of the launcher is performed five to seven days before launch. A launch on June 9 is still an option, but June 11 seems to be the current target as indicated by Chinese media, that noted the launch ‘was planned in mid-June.’ The launch time for the 9th would be around 10:35 UTC and the T-0 time on the 11th would be about 9:40 UTC. An official launch date and time will be provided in the days leading up to liftoff.

Also, the official crew announcement will likely occur shortly before launch which was the case for the Shenzhou 9 mission in 2012. The current belief is that the Shenzhou 10 crew will be the backup crew of Shenzhou 9 comprised of Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping who would become China’s second women in space.

The exact flight plan for the mission has also not been announced.

Photo: Xinhua

Photo: Xinhua

After blasting off from Jiquan and being released into its desired orbit, Shenzhou 10 will be on a 2-day journey to Tiangong 1 - China's first Space Station Module that was launched in 2011. The mission will again test the technology associated with rendezvous and docking – assessing the navigation systems of the vehicle and its capability of making an automated approach to Tiangong-1. Whether this flight will feature a re-docking maneuver like the operation performed on Shenzhou 9 is not known.

Once entering the mini-Space Station, the Crew will perform science operations and tests associated with 'living in space' as this will be China's longest manned flight with a duration of about 15 days. Two crew members will occupy the sleep stations of Tiangong-1 while the remaining crew member will sleep inside the Shenzhou spacecraft. The crew’s day will be filled with science operations and tests of the various systems aboard Tiangong-1 to uncover any flaws that need to be corrected for future space station operations. The mission will also feature the first-of-its kind Chinese educational event held live from space being broadcast live to students.

Following the Shenzhou 10 flight, Tiangong-1 will likely remain in orbit for some time to serve as an unmanned testbed and continue operations of its Earth observation payload, but the module will not be visited by a crew again as it was only designed to support two manned flights.

China’s future space station module, Tiangong-2, is currently set for launch in 2014. On its path to building a large modular space station, China is constantly evaluating and testing new technology required for the operation of a large station. Tiangong-2 will feature more science equipment, an advanced environmental control system and a propellant transfer system to demonstrate the capability of transferring fuel in orbit – a key requirement for a long-duration space station. China is planning to establish its large space station by 2020 with current plans showing the vehicle consisting of a core module and two laboratory modules offering up to three docking ports.

Chinese Launcher assembled for Shenzhou 10 Mission

May 16, 2013

Photo; Xinhua

Reports coming from China indicate that the Long March 2F launch vehicle has been assembled for the upcoming Shenzhou 10 mission. According to reports, the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft has also been installed on its booster that is set to launch in the first half of June.

The Long March 2F launch vehicle began the trip from its manufacturing plant in Beijing on April 29 and completed a four-day train ride to the Jiquan Satellite Launch Center. After arriving in early May, the individual components underwent inspections and electrical testing before the launch vehicle integration process started. On May 9, integration got underway as the first stage was mounted on the mobile launch table. The four strap-on boosters were then installed around the core stage before the second stage was installed atop the core. Long March 2F stands 58.34 meters tall and has a diameter of 3.35 meters weighing 479,800kg at liftoff.

The Shenzhou 10 spacecraft completed its pre-launch processing flow after being delivered to Jiquan in late March. Over the course of April, the vehicle was checked out and reconfigured for its flight. Propellant Loading also took place before the spacecraft was attached to the launch vehicle. The Shenzhou spacecraft consists of three modules: the Orbital Module, Instrumentation Module and Entry Module between the other two sections. The complete spacecraft is 9.25 meters long and has a main diameter of 2.8 meters with a liftoff mass of 7,840 Kilograms.

With launch preparations progressing on schedule, it can be assumed that the launch remains planned for the ‘early June window.’

Chinese officials have not yet announced a launch date or made an official crew announcement.

Photo: Xinhua

China prepares for next manned Shenzhou Mission to Tiangong-1

April 8, 2013

Photo: China Manned Space Engineering Office

China is preparing for its next manned space flight set to launch later this year. Three crew members, including China’s second woman to fly to space, are planned to fly aboard Shenzhou-10 on a 15-day mission to the Tiangong-1 mini Space Station. Liftoff aboard a Long March 2F launcher is planned for June 2013. Assembly of the Shenzhou Spacecraft at its Beijing Production Facility has been completed and the Long March 2F rocket has also finished its integration and testing phase. The Shenzhou Spacecraft components were delivered to the Jiquan Satellite Launch Center, 1,600 Kilometers from Beijing, via two cargo aircraft in late March to complete final assembly and testing at the launch site. Later in April, the launch vehicle will be transported by train from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology manufacturing facility to Jiquan. Shenzhou 10 is set for a 15-day flight to Tiangong-1 which would be China’s longest space flight yet as Shenzhou 9 spent 13 days in space.

Of these 15 days, the vehicle would spent 12 days docked to the Space Station Module. The exact objectives and details on the mission profile have not been announced yet.

Primary objectives that are likely to be set for this mission include further testing of the approach and docking procedures of the Shenzhou and Tiangong Spacecraft, both, in manual and automated mode. Also, the Tiangong-1 complex and its systems will undergo further testing in real spaceflight conditions to verify the environmental control system architecture. Just like Shenzhou 9, this flight will be carrying a number of payloads and experiments that will be performed by the crew.

These flights provide tremendous data to Chinese engineers and spacecraft designers that rely on input by the crews and results of actual in-space testing. New equipment will be carried to Tiangong-1 aboard Shenzhou 10 that will make it easier for crew members to stabilize and anchor themselves when performing tasks inside the vehicle which was a problem on the Shenzhou 9 flight. This is only one example of lessons learned from in-space experience which the Chinese will be utilizing to build their next generation Tiangong Space Stations and eventually a large modular Space Station.

Tiangong-1 was built for two manned flights, Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 10. It is only equipped with a single docking port and is not capable of receiving resupply spacecraft. Also, the Space Station Module is only a short-term testbed of regenerative environmental control systems such as Oxygen generators and urine processors which are tested, but not relied on. Earlier reports indicated that Tiangong-1 was built to support 60 crew days of life-support, enabling the station to receive two crews of three for a total of about 20 days – depending on actual consumable consumption.

The improvement of the execution of space missions is also an objective of the Shenzhou 10 flight as the mission will feature new concepts such as a potential flyaround of the small Tiangong-1 Module to gather new data for future proximity navigation systems and techniques.

Also, this flight will have the first-of-its kind Chinese educational event held live from space being broadcast live to students, the China Manned Space Engineering Office announced.

The crew for this mission will consist of two men and China’s second women in space, Wang Yaping who is a 35-year old Captain in the Chinese Air Force.

She was selected as potential astronaut in 2009 and was the backup crew member of Liu Yang, China’s first women in space.

The identities of the two men that will accompany Yaping are still unknown, however, it is likely that the two other backup crew members of the Shenzhou 9 Flight might be chosen: Nie Haisheng and Zhang Xiaoguang. Both were selected in 1998 as part of China’s first astronaut group. Haisheng is a veteran of a single space flight that he made on the Shenzhou 6 mission in 2005.

The launch of Shenzhou 10 is planned to occur in a two-month window from June to August, however, it is likely that the launch will take place early in June based on the latest trend of the orbit of the Tiangong-1 vehicle that has to be lowered to an orbit that can be reached by the Shenzhou spacecraft.

Photo: China Manned Space Engineering Office

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